Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-09-20
THE MARVELLOUS MIRAGE.
strange Optical Illusions the High
PlHins-Pnenomenat that startle V,c.ims
nf n eicisn, OF fha Az.
san Francisco Examiner

L
II is set apart from ny purpose TO ex-
plain the mirage scientifically, and not
altogether ia powe-. I mean simply TO
note here &c ~ q the more remarkable
illusions by whicl ny own sense Of slg1.
has been befooled 81 tbs freaks Of the en-
chantar.
Ole summer morning, twenty one
years ago in the upper North Plate cour-
ny, rose from ny bl:Ikets, performed
g plous act OF sun WoIs1ip by "a Trirg
toward the east, kicked together the
pIted embers Of my camp fire, and be-
thought me CT water Tor my ablution2.
We had gone inc bivouac late in the
night ca al open piaic, AID without any
clear notion OF where VIC were. There
were q hsII-dCzeu Of ue, the Leader be
ing the late General Hszen, q. the time
Of mis- death, 3 year ago, chief sigual
officer H Was then on g tour of in
| spectioC Of the new military post in Mon
tsns, and i accompanied the expedition
as a surveyor.
Having an aspiration for water, ns-
! turally looked about to see what might
be the prospect Of obtaining it, md to
ny surprise and delight saw g long line
of willows, apparently some eco yards
away. willows implied water, aut
sratching up 2 camp kettle l started Ter
ward without taking the trouble TO pu. Oh
my coat and hat.
For the first NILE or two | preserved
certain cheerful hopefulness, but when
the sun had risen further towsrd the ne
ridian aud began to affect nv bare head
most uncomfortable, ard the picke.ei
! OF ~ - on
the horizon in the rear, end the willows
in front increased their pace out OF ell
proportion TO mine, begaa to grow dis
couraged aud sa. down Gu stone 70 wish
myself back. Pefceiving that the willows
had also halted for breath, l determined
20 maze dash q them, leaving tie camp
aettle behind 10 msk9 its Way back IS
| best it could 20 m7 hat and coat.
! was now travelling "hying light" snd
had no doubt Of my ability to overtAke
the enemy, which had, however, dis
! appeared OYER the crest OF l07 sandhiu.
Ascending this | WAS treated to surprise
| Rght ahead cf NE lay barren waste
OF sand extending - TIE right sld lett as
Ia Is | could see. is Width in the d.
rec.iJn that l was going l judged to be
3Hout twenty miles On it's farther Der
der the cactus plain began again, slopinG
gradually upward toward ne horiz II,
along which was . fringe Ot cedar trees
the willows Of my vision! IL that coun-
Try cedar will not grow within thirty
miles OF water il it knows it.
On MP return eurney coldly ignored
the appeals OF the camp kettle, and when
l met the resCUiIg party, which had been
for some hours trailing me, made 10 81
fusion to the real purpose OF ny excur-
zion. When Uszan asked if l proposed
- enter s plea Of temporary insanity
replied th2. | would reserve my defencs
FIR the present, and il fact never did dis.
c ose It until now.
had afterward the sa.isf6 ctiOn of see
ing Hsz9p, an experienced p,siasmaa.
consume q full hour, rife in hand, WORK
ing round to the lceTar& Of dead coyote
ii the sure and CcttaIa hope CT hEggtne
8 sleeping buffalo. Mirage or NO mirage
you must not too implicitly trust youl
eyes in the fantastic atmosphere Of thG
, high plains.
IrememHer tha. ore forenoon | looked
fovwGrd to the base ct the Big Horn
: mOuut2ins and sela2ted s most enCAapt
ing nook for Ghe nights camp. Ny gO3d
opinion OF it was confirmed when We
reached 1t three days later.
The deception in this instance was due
: to nothing but the marvellous Iucidity Of
the atmosphere and the absence Of OBJ
! ieCts ct known dimensions, ard these
sources of error are eometimes sGflicien;
OF themselves to produce the most iEcred.
: ible Illusions. When they are in alliance
with the mirage The conl5in2tion's pTanks
are simply b6Wilderlng.
Ole OF the most gr0tesque and least
comfortable Of my experiences with toe
magicians Of the cir occurred lear TIE
fol ks OF the Plstse. Thsre had been 4
tremendous thunder storm, lasting al
nigh. In the morning my party Set for
ward over the soaken pr1iTic under c
Cloudless sky intensely blue.
| vas riding in advance absorbed il
thought, when | was suddenly reused K
a sense of material things by excIamc.
/ tions of establishment aid apprehension
2 from the men behind. Looking forward
e l beheld truly terrifying spectacle.
b Immediately in iron. a. q distance sr-
& parently of not more than quarter Of ;
g mile, was long lire of the most formid-
able looking monsters that the imggiua-
ton ever conceived. They were tale.
: than trees. In them the Clements Of ns
{ ture seemed so fan.ssticallY and di5cord
aHlly uuIAtu anu ULeHttQJ GCulEOuGuGu
too, with architectural and mechanical
details, that they partook Of the tripl
character of animals, houses an
machines. Legs they had an
az army with banners coult
have marched between; bodie
!! and ships might have sailed betweel
q heads about which eagles might have de
lighted to soar, and ears-:hey were sir
gulsrly well gifted with ears, But wheels
also, they were endowed with, and vas
sides CT blank wal; the wheels as lsrg
as the ring OF circus, the walls whit
and high as cliffs OF chalk along s.
English coast.
e Among them, on them, beneath then
r in and part Of them, were figures an
e fragments OF figures of gigantic mel
All were ineXtriCsbly interolended an
superposed-s maD's hsSd and shouIde
blazoned on the side Of 81 animal;
wheel with legs for spokes rolling alon
- the creatures bsck; vast section {
+ wall, having no contact with tie esrtt
J. but with tail hanging from its rear, lik
d 8 gigantic note Of admiration, movin
ri along the line, obscurirg here an sns
> tomicsl horror and disclosing there
q mechauicsl nightmare.
Sc In short, this appalling procession